The Irish standard., 1887-08-27
MISCELLANEOUS BRIEFS.
NEARLY million dollars worth of agri.
cultural mac hinery, of American nlanufact.

NEARLY million dollars worth of agri.
cultural mac hinery, of American manufact.
ure is annua ty sold in Germany.
!, IT is sad that Goldfish are very voracious,
and wall ;!Ze upon AMI swallow any thing
| that is cast into the water that is not too
| l.,rye for tn 3ir yul,eis Among a number
| co IS stomach were knives powders, old
| hats and kerosene lamps.
| FoR forty years previous to the removal
30 their present entonbneut. the TX IN Inns
Of Washington lay in an old plantation
/! tomb. although he left an estate valued at
81 DDoo After tho removal the ne is sold
the Washington home for s25y,oD and d s.
| pcsc oil every thing about the place sai;s-
| BIZ. rs Il relic. It is sail 1he present tomb
| is daily growing more dilap;dated while
! the nun,b ber OF relics Increases.
| The best food Tor brain workers is said
to be meats, fish, eggs, mil.:, green vege-
tables and stale breal and butter Farina-
ceous foods are also recommended which,
! with stewed fruits, afford an excel
i lent diet in case of any irregu.arlty.
A brain worker with tremendous ap-
petite is not an uncommon sight, and
many are the references to men OF great
mental attainEents who were noted for
their gastrononlic powers.
/ SHOPPING in Mexico is not the toilsome
occupation that it is in other countries.
There the ladies remain mfortably in
their carriages at the curbstone while the
| clerks, bareheaded, hurry in and out with
/, boxes bundles, etc, transacting their
| business. None but servants or foreign.
ers trade at the counters There is de-
plorable lack of system III the manage
| lnent of the stores. The goods are never
sorted, but age piled together In bewider
ing confusion and the obliglng clerks
often go through q series OF gymnastics in
their efforts to serve customers with what
they call for.
II is related OF an English bishop, that
on one occasion he was riding in one of
, the old-fashioned broad gauge railway car
riages, and was seated at one end Of it,
when he heard truculent voice at the
| other end exclainl: II would dearly like
to meet the Bishop Of Oxford. ] will be
bound I would puzzle him. ~ every
| WELL ;" replied the Bishop to the speaker,
who had not perceived him, "now is your
time, for I am that person.' The man
was rather taken aback, but quickly re"
covering, said: Is Well, my lord, can you
tell plain man plain way to get to
Heayen?n Certainly ';re Piled tha Bishop;
"nothiug is more easy. You have only to
turn at once to the right, and go straigh
forward"
ALONG the Pacific coast ara found in
great profusion numerous varieties OF.
shelltish and queer inhabitants OF the
deep, among which is one notable for the
frequency with which il forces itself upon
the notice OF mankind. In frequenting the
surf one is apt to bring his foot into con-:
sation of being stabbed by a. galvanic
battery. Upon ascartaining the source Of
the sensation it will be found shat g sting,
ing ray, the object referred TO- is abroad;
for business. This is q broad Hat fish Of
the skate family having a long, slim sail
tsr1ned with neeGle- like spine Will. which
it renders uncomfortable any animate Oh
lect coming in contact
THE word shousehold" ls of very Old
origin and means those who dwell under
the same roof and compose a family
Woman was the name first given to the
female CT the human race aud was f0r"
merly written wif-mann (wife.) The
term lady is of Anglo Saxon origin, me&p-
ing bread-server. 1t was formerly the
custom Of the Lady of the manor to dis
tribute bread at stated intervals or on
gala days TO her tenants; hence the name
lady or bread-server. Any woman by
former English custom, whose husband
Was not OF lower rank than knight, was
entitled to be- called Lady. The terms
lady and gentleman, however, nave come
to be used as freely as the term man and
woman.
AN authentic account Of the origin Of
buttons upon the sleeves Of military coats,
SAYS they were first worn by soldiers in
"a, JTr 1;cb 'l,af f1.ct ru
OF the English army had no buttons on
the cuffs, and the soldiers used to draw
the cuff Of their coat across their nose
and 1nouth on every occasion when
pocket handkerchief or napkin might have
been called into reuuisiton. AS a matter Of
course, the cuff became shiny and defaced.
Punishment and reprilnand were tried,
but they did not stop this habit, and at
lasta board Of officers met, and they sug-
gested the buttons on the sleeve, which
was adopted. They were first worn on top
the sleeve, but they have moved back
ward as the handkerchief has moved fori
ward
REPORTS from copper centers convey the
intelligence that at present copper is
lower i'll price than ever before in TIE
history of the arts It's low price has in
1'uced a wide range of new uses and an
enlarged consumption III Old channels
Notwithstan ding the low price of copper,
it is some what notable fact that the
price of copper wire. sheet and bar copper
has not fallen in proportion, ard the con-
suners Of the various products Of copper
haye not benefit from this fall in price
SO 1nuch as capitalists who control the
copper rolling mills, Approaching this
point, some large Boston capitalists are
erecting tine plant for rolling copper att
Lake Superior, and it is to be hoped that
the consumers of this valuable metal WILL
soon be able to participate in the ad-
vantages which low-priced metal affords.
IT is estimated that precious stones VAL
uea at over S, 900, oo) are annually i'm
ported into the United States. It is CAL
culated that gems to half that value sre
srugglea. The schemes for hoodwnking
the authorities are SO varied and interest
ing as to merit usntion As sample the,
following is given: 'Piease to hold my
he Iv 7,-1,i]o NIX husband helms me t0 OrJen